When Snowflakes Melt
by Ichibayashi
Summary: "Hey... Sarah? Why do snowflakes always melt once they land on my fingers, even if my hands are super cold?" It took Emma years to finally understand the answer as to why. However, by the time she found a way to make them stay, they had already stopped falling.


The people cheer for her demise. Everywhere along the town, they smile wide at the snow giving sky and in their happy hearts thank their savior, they thank her for the good she's done.

But to their dear savior, to Emma, she's done far from good.

David and Snow swiftly reconcile, whispering apologies and meaningful, cloy words between held hands and flushed faces. Henry is safe as well, by the side of his grandparents as they speak. Elsa, her sister Anna, and a man, whom she'd find out was Anna's fiancé, Kristoff decide to catch up at the inn. Regina's suddenly disappeared into the forest. The town is recovering. Life is going on.

She should be smiling.

This is what they wanted.

This is what _she_ wanted.

She _should_ be smiling.

But instead, _Emma weeps_.

Tucked away inside the desolate, cold, and dark ice cream parlor, Emma weeps for reacting the way she did those many years before. Emma weeps for losing the chance of happiness she could've found with her. Emma weeps for breaking her heart. Emma weeps for _Ingrid_.

In retrospect, she feels as if her memories were returned too late. Too late for everything. Had Emma remembered Ingrid, of the unconditional love she gave her with her arms wide open, it would've turned out differently. Ingrid could've been here with her, with everybody- accepted and loved. But instead, Emma sneers in her presence and thrusts her festered dagger conjured from her hatred and disgust into straight into Ingrid's heart. She sees those open arms not as a welcome, but as opportunity. And the thought of living with that guilt, the suffocating remorse, is unbearable.

Emma ponders over her new, _old_ memories. They feel so fresh, yet she knows it happened years ago. Perhaps there was some sort of déjà vu effect upon having regained them. She recalls how Ingrid would gaze upon her with serene eyes laden with an emotion she never quite understood as a child.

Love.

Never in her teenage life had any adult looked upon her truly with such a feeling. In her memories, she grins and relishes in it. In reality, the memory causes her to tremor and Emma wholeheartedly decides she doesn't deserve them now. How could she live knowing that she was given the utmost love by someone who cared, but never got that in return from her?

Maybe it would've been a much easier process to comprehend if she hadn't been returned her memories. Maybe she could live with knowing there was a connection between herself and the villain who committed self-sacrifice for the greater good whose mysteries she took to her grave. Maybe she could live with knowing the Dairy Queen died in place of Sarah Ficsher, of Ingrid.

"Dairy Queen.." Emma scoffs through her bubbling tears.

Another memory erupts into her head.

* * *

 _Emma is turning to ask Sarah if she can have one of the tempting Hershey bars stacked on the check out shelves when she catches the woman gazing afar. Sarah's eyebrows are slightly raised — she looks as deeply in thought. Emma questioningly follows the direction of Sarah's eyes, though she has to tiptoe just a bit to see over the row of lanes and some heads, to a duo of giggling girls. Just some spoilt brats.. She thinks. The female cashier attending them blatantly clears her throat with a roll of their eyes. Emma notices and moves gently to squeeze Sarah's hand- her really cold hand._

 _"Hey," She calls softly._

 _When Sarah comes to, she looks up and around her form as if searching for something. She meets Emma's eyes for a second before instantly refocusing to the task at hand._

 _"Oh, excuse me. What is the price for this again?" Sarah inquires._

 _"Twenty seven thirty four." The cashier pressed, tapping a long, manicured nail on the register's monitor where the total amount is listed in digital bold, green lettering._

 _How rude. Emma shifts a bit into Sarah's side, eyeing the cashier down._

 _Sarah, slower than usual, retrieves the said amount from her purse and pays the woman, who bags the items. The blonde woman hastily takes the brown paper bag in her arm, mutters a thank you with a smile to the employee, and with a very firm grip on Emma's hand begins to leave the store._

 _"Com'on Emma. Perhaps we'll go the movies and then home for some ice cream afterwards. Hmm?" Sarah's sweet smile is directed towards Emma, but Emma knows her eyes linger on the children playing._

 _"Alright, Dairy Queen," Emma pokes as they exit the store and Sarah's smile falters for a moment. The older woman moves to wrap her arm around the younger blonde's form then presses her cheek against her hair._

But Emma was too focused on savoring the parental arms around her shoulders to notice how downcast Sarah was.

 _"Why, I think I'm far from anything like a queen.."_

* * *

Emma furiously wipes away at her eyes, attempting to cease the onslaught of waves pouring from her eyes, but they don't stop.

"..God, god, godgodgodgodgodgod! Argh!" She roars, running both hands through her hair in a crazed manner. Her scalp achingly throbs, irritated by the angled nails trailing upon delicate skin.

She could've _saved_ her. She could've avoided this entire stupid spell. She could've gone back to her to settle their misunderstanding back when they were a pair and Ingrid would've came into her life again, whether as Sarah or Ingrid. _She could've avoided Ingrid's death._

Yes, Ingrid wished for the love of her sisters- but that was the love she _already undoubtedly had_ , from her sisters, from Elsa, and Emma. And she knows it would've been _more than enough_. That would've been the start of her _real happy ending_ with Emma, Henry, Elsa, Anna, and everyone else in this goddamn town! But what good is it being the savior if she couldn't make it happen? If she _didn't_ let it happen.. Emma had a chance, yet she _took it, dropped it, spat on it,_ and only after _trampling all over it_ , realized that that was the _only chance she'd been given._

There would be no more of Ingrid. And there is nothing she, the almighty savior, could do about it. This was a happy ending she'd lost in the snow.

And Emma weeps.

* * *

Hello there! Ichibayashi here. I hope that you enjoyed this little tidbit. There's so many italicized words, haha! It's certainly been a while since I last posted a story. After scrolling through the many fragmented stories that I have piled up and unused, I feel as if I should give them time to shine.

Good news! Late last year, I became hooked (hehe) on the OUAT (Once Upon A Time) series! I love it so much and have written a fair amount of tidbits because of it. So if you liked this one, you can possibly expect more. (Hint hint, wink wink) This one in particular was written exactly after the episode of our beloved Ingrid's passing as I really felt that Emma should've felt more emotion than what was shown. Besides that, I loved her and Elsa's entire story arc. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you for reading!

Ichibayashi, out.


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